LI Muslim Alliance president condemns Trump over comments
The president of the Long Island Muslim Alliance condemned Donald Trump Monday, saying the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's comments on Muslims are hateful and divisive. "This kind of
News 12 Staff
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Jun 21, 2016, 1:19 AM
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Updated 2,860 days ago
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The president of the Long Island Muslim Alliance condemned Donald Trump Monday, saying the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's comments on Muslims are hateful and divisive.
"This kind of statement basically gives ideas to the people that it's OK to hate Muslims, and that's not right," Nayyar Imam says.
On Sunday, Trump suggested that the United States should seriously consider profiling Muslims.
Imam says Trump's suggestion of targeting people solely based on their religion is not only un-American, but also impossible, considering there are more than 3 million Muslims living in America.
"Obviously there are some bad apples in this community, like what happened in Orlando, but it doesn't mean that you can just paint the whole community with a wide brush," Imam says.
Trump first suggested profiling Muslims back in December, and around that time also suggested a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the United States.
Some Long Islanders agree with Trump's profiling considerations, while others see the situation differently.
"Not everyone is a terrorist, there are some people that are just like everyone else," says Tad Cox, of Coram. "All they want to do is put food on the table and have a roof over their head."
When asked about Trump, Rep. Lee Zeldin seemed to support him, saying that people are "paranoid about political correctness."
Conversely, Rep. Steve Israel says Muslim profiling is "just another evidence-free talking point from Donald Trump meant to divide more Americans."
